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Mirza Teletović

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Mirza Teletović (born September 18, 1985) is a Bosnian former professional basketball player who was the president of the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2018 to 2022.[1] As a player, he spent six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represented and captained the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played at the power forward position.

Mirza Teletović
Teletović with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016
President of the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
October 20, 2018 – June 8, 2022
Preceded bySejo Bukva
Succeeded byBoris Spasojević
Personal details
Born (1985-09-18) September 18, 1985 (age 39)
Jablanica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
NationalityBosnian
Basketball career
Personal information
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2007: undrafted
Playing career2002–2021
PositionPower forward
Number12, 33, 35
Career history
2002–2004Sloboda Tuzla
2004–2006Telindus Oostende
2006–2012Saski Baskonia
2012–2015Brooklyn Nets
2015–2016Phoenix Suns
2016–2018Milwaukee Bucks
2021KK Turbina
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Teletović started his career in Bosnia with Sloboda Tuzla, which was followed by a stint in Belgium with Oostende. He played six years for Saski Baskonia, with whom he won two Liga ACB championships. He was also named to the All-ACB Team in 2012. Then, he played five seasons in the NBA for the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks. On September 27, 2018 Teletović announced his retirement after suffering a career-ending pulmonary embolism injury during his tenure with the Bucks and then got waived in March 2018, removing his final year of his contract in December of that same year.

Early life

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Teletović lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War of the 1990s. His parents are from Jablanica in the Herzegovina region. He grew up in Mostar, a city which suffered an 18-month siege when he was a child during the Bosnian War. When Teletović shared his account of the war, he said:

I was seven years old when the war started. First you start seeing that there's no food, then grenades come down, the whole city is shaking, and you hear people screaming. Every day, your parents come in and say 'our neighbor died, our cousin died'. Always somebody dying. One day, I asked my mother, 'Is anybody alive?' It was very, very rough for us. It left, I will say, a memory...All my friends and me are playing [basketball] and then you hear the sirens like the grenades start falling down and just run to your house and hide. If I have to die, I die. For basketball, I will do anything.[2]

As a youth, Teletović spent some of his time playing soccer, as well as learning kickboxing and karate. However, he felt most comfortable with playing basketball, as he played the sport at a local basketball court not far from his home.[3][4]

Professional career

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Europe

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Sloboda Tuzla (2002–2004)

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Teletović made his professional debut with the club Sloboda Tuzla, of the Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the 2002–03 season. In his first season with the club, he averaged 7.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while in his second season, he increased his stats to 26.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game over 17 games in the league.[5]

Telindus Oostende (2004–2006)

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In 2004, Teletović moved to the Belgian Basketball League club Telindus Oostende and stayed for two seasons. He also played in Europe's second-tier level, continental-wide ULEB Cup competition, averaging 6.7 points and 2 rebounds.

Saski Baskonia (2006–2012)

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He joined the EuroLeague club Saski Baskonia (known as Tau Cerámica at the time), of the Spanish ACB League, in 2006. He played his first game in the Spanish League on October 1, 2006, in a game against Pamesa, where they won on the road by 95–94.[6] In his first season in EuroLeague, Europe's first-tier level, continental-wide competition, he averaged 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He declared eligible for the 2007 NBA draft, but went undrafted.

In the next three seasons with the Spanish club, he became a starting player, and eventually became the captain of Baskonia, and one of the cornerstones of the team. In 2008, he won the Spanish League Rising Star Award. A year later, in 2009, when the club became known as Caja Laboral, he was named the MVP of the mid-season three game Spanish King's Cup tournament.[7]

Over 10 games in the 2011–12 Euroleague season, he averaged a career-high 21.7 points and 6 rebounds per game. However, Caja Laboral did not reach the Top 16 round. In June 2012, Teletović reached a contract buyout agreement with Baskonia, for an amount of €2 million, in order to play the next year in the NBA.[8]

NBA

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Brooklyn Nets (2012–2015)

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Teletović with the Nets in March 2013

On July 16, 2012, Teletović signed a three-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets.[9][10] He made his NBA debut on November 5, 2012 in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On March 1, 2013, Nets head coach P. J. Carlesimo said that he intended to put Teletović in the Nets rotation, along with giving him consistent minutes.[11] He went on to tie his season-high of 14 points against the Washington Wizards in the team's second last game of the season on April 15. He managed just one playoff appearance for the Nets in their 4–3 first round series loss to the Chicago Bulls.[12]

On November 29, 2013, Teletović recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds against the Houston Rockets. On January 24, 2014, he scored a career-high 34 points in a 107–106 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[13] On February 2, 2014, he recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans.[14]

On December 3, 2014, Teletović scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in a 95–93 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.[15] On January 23, 2015, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2014–15 season after he was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus.[16] He made an earlier than expected return for the Nets on April 22, playing four minutes and grabbing two rebounds in Game 2 of the team's first-round series loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[17]

On June 18, 2015, the Nets tendered a qualifying offer worth $4.21 million to make Teletović a restricted free agent. However, on July 9, the Nets withdrew their qualifying offer and parted ways with him.[18]

Phoenix Suns (2015–2016)

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On July 17, 2015, Teletović signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.[19][20] He made his debut for the Suns in the team's season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on October 28, recording 5 points and 5 rebounds in a 111–95 loss.[21] On November 29, he scored a season-high 20 points off the bench in a 107–102 win over the Toronto Raptors.[22] He tied his season-high on December 7, scoring 20 points, including a go-ahead basket with 0.3 seconds left, to cap the Suns' furious fourth-quarter rally from 16 down in a 103–101 win over the Chicago Bulls.[23] On December 16, he surpassed that mark, scoring a team-high 24 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.[24] On January 12, 2016, he reached double figures for a career-best sixth straight game, scoring 19 points in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.[25] On February 19, he scored a season-high 25 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets.[26] Six days later, he topped that mark with 30 points in a loss to his former team, the Brooklyn Nets.[27] On March 23, in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Teletović set the Suns' single-season record for most three-pointers made off the bench, surpassing Danny Ainge's 150 made three-pointers during the 1992–93 season.[28] On April 5, in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Teletović set an NBA single-season record for most three-pointers made off the bench, surpassing Chuck Person's 164 made three-pointers during the 1994–95 season with the San Antonio Spurs.[29] His record was broken the following season by Eric Gordon. Teletović finished the season with a 181 three-pointers, with 179 made while coming off the bench.[30]

Milwaukee Bucks (2016–2018)

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On July 8, 2016, Teletović signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.[31][32] On November 5, 2016, he scored 22 points and matched his career high with seven three-pointers in a 117–91 win over the Sacramento Kings.[33] Teletović saw an expanded role in the wake of Michael Beasley sustaining a knee injury in late February 2017.[34] However, Teletović sustained a slight hamstring injury in March 2017,[35] but returned quickly and saw expanded minutes.[36]

Teletović appeared in the first 10 games of the 2017–18 season for the Bucks before being ruled out for four weeks on November 21 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee.[37] On December 14, 2017, he was sidelined further as a result of pulmonary emboli in both lungs. Teletović's condition was discovered when consulting with Bucks team physicians after he experienced unusual fatigue earlier in the week.[38] On March 10, 2018, he was waived by the Bucks.[39] On December 21, 2018, the Bucks' request to remove Teletovic's salary from their books for a career-ending injury was granted by the NBA. [40]

Retirement

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On September 27, 2018, Teletović announced his retirement, and revealed that he would start working at the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[41] However, he came out of retirement in 2021 to join local team KK Turbina.[42]

National team career

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Teletović played for the national basketball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has played at the EuroBasket 2003, EuroBasket 2005, EuroBasket 2011, and EuroBasket 2013. In the EuroBasket 2011 tournament, he averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game; however, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished in 17th place out of 24 teams in the tournament.[43]

In the EuroBasket 2013 qualification, Teletović averaged 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game and helped Bosnia and Herzegovina finished first in group D. During the final tournament, Teletović averaged 21.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, with both points and rebounds per game being career highs for Teletović at the EuroBasket. Bosnia and Herzegovina was not able to advance to the second round despite its 3–2 record, leading to a 13th-placed finish. In the EuroBasket 2017 qualification, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Brooklyn 53 0 9.4 .384 .343 .818 1.8 .4 .2 .2 3.5
2013–14 Brooklyn 72 7 19.4 .418 .390 .710 3.7 .8 .4 .3 8.6
2014–15 Brooklyn 40 4 22.3 .382 .321 .717 4.9 1.2 .4 .4 8.5
2015–16 Phoenix 79 1 21.3 .427 .393 .774 3.8 1.1 .4 .3 12.2
2016–17 Milwaukee 70 2 16.2 .373 .341 .778 2.3 .7 .2 .2 6.4
2017–18 Milwaukee 10 0 15.9 .439 .467 – 2.3 1.0 .4 .1 7.1
Career 324 14 17.8 .406 .371 .755 3.2 .8 .3 .3 8.1

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013 Brooklyn 1 0 1.0 – – – .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2014 Brooklyn 12 0 18.3 .439 .339 .667 3.3 .3 .4 .2 8.3
2015 Brooklyn 3 0 5.3 .000 .000 – 1.3 .0 .3 .0 .0
2017 Milwaukee 3 0 9.0 .167 .250 – 1.0 .0 .3 .0 1.0
Career 19 0 13.9 .398 .313 .667 2.5 .2 .4 .1 5.4

EuroLeague

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* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2006–07 Baskonia 24 6 15.1 .374 .328 .792 2.8 .6 .5 .3 5.3 5.0
2007–08 25* 24 27.2 .485 .433 .692 4.4 .4 .5 .5 10.5 9.2
2008–09 21 6 26.3 .535 .421 .750 3.7 .6 .4 .3 13.0 11.0
2009–10 20 18 30.1 .450 .436 .737 4.5 1.1 .5 .2 14.8 13.3
2010–11 20 17 34.1 .412 .360 .679 5.5 .8 .6 .5 15.4 13.1
2011–12 10 10 34.4 .437 .431 .700 6.0 1.2 .5 1.0 21.7 20.7
Career 120 81 26.8 .451 .405 .718 4.3 .7 .6 .5 12.4 11.0

Personal life

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Teletović is an ethnic Bosniak.[44] He has four children with his wife Maja.[45]

Awards and accomplishments

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Club honours

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Individual

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NBA record

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  • Most three-pointers made while coming off the bench in a single season (179): (2016)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ E.B. (June 8, 2022). "Mirza Teletović podnio ostavku na mjesto predsjednika Košarkaškog saveza BiH" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  2. ^ "For Mirza Teletovic, basketball is a game, not war ... and he knows the difference". netsdaily.com. SBnation. February 16, 2013.
  3. ^ Coro, Paul (September 18, 2015). "Suns newcomer Teletovic rebounds from adversity". AZ Central. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "Mirza Teletovic: Survivor of War, Sickness, and Basketball". nba.com/suns. National Basketball Association. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  5. ^ "Mirza Teletovic Draft 2007". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  6. ^ "Spanish League, Game 1: September 30 – October 1, 2006". Euroleague. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  7. ^ "Teletovic, MVP de la Copa del Rey". Libertad Digital Deportes (in Spanish). February 22, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  8. ^ "Caja Laboral and Mirza Teletovic agreed to the NBA buyout amount". Sportando. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Sign Mirza Teletovic". NBA.com. July 16, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "Nets add to roster, bring in European forward Teletovic". NBA.com. July 13, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  11. ^ Bondy, Stefan (March 1, 2013). "PJ Carlesimo: Mirza Teletovic "is the biggest piece we have to address."". nydailynews.com. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Mirza Teletovic 2012-13 Game Log
  13. ^ Notebook: Nets 107, Mavericks 106
  14. ^ Mirza Teletovic 2013-14 Game Log
  15. ^ Nets win in OT, snap Spurs' 8-game winning streak
  16. ^ Mirza Teletovic Medical Update - 01/23/15
  17. ^ "Millsap scores 19, Hawks hold off Nets 96-91 for 2-0 lead". NBA.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Nets Rescind Qualifying Offer To Mirza Teletovic
  19. ^ "Suns Sign Teletovic, Weems, Price". NBA.com. July 17, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  20. ^ Mazzeo, Mike (July 9, 2015). "Mirza Teletovic to sign with Suns". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "8 Dallas players reach double figures, Mavs rout Suns 111-95". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  22. ^ "Eric Bledsoe powers Suns past Raptors, 107-102". NBA.com. November 29, 2015. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  23. ^ "Teletovic, Knight rally Suns past Bulls, 103-101". NBA.com. December 7, 2015. Archived from the original on December 6, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  24. ^ "Thompson's 27-point third quarter leads Warriors past Suns". NBA.com. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  25. ^ "Pacers pull away in fourth, beat Suns 116-97". NBA.com. January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  26. ^ "James Harden leads Rockets past free-falling Suns, 116-100". NBA.com. February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  27. ^ "Bogdanovic, Nets top Suns in battle of lowly teams". NBA.com. February 25, 2016. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  28. ^ "@Teletovic33 has now set a new @Suns single-..." Twitter. March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  29. ^ "Mirza Teletovic sets NBA record for most 3-pointers in a season by a reserve". ArizonaSports.com. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  30. ^ "Teletovic's 22 leads Suns past Clippers reserves, 114-105". NBA.com. April 13, 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  31. ^ "Bucks Sign Mirza Teletovic". NBA.com. July 8, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  32. ^ Herbert, James (July 1, 2016). "Report: Bucks, Mirza Teletovic agree to 3-year, $30 million deal". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  33. ^ Teletovic, Parker lead Bucks to 117-91 win over Kings
  34. ^ Silva, Nick (March 8, 2017). "NBA Rumor Central: Michael Beasley needs more time". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  35. ^ "Bucks' Mirza Teletovic: Out Friday with hamstring injury". CBSSports.com. March 10, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  36. ^ Lowe, Zach (March 24, 2017). "Ten things I like and don't like, including Whiteside's trick bag". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  37. ^ "MEDICAL UPDATE ON MIRZA TELETOVIC". NBA.com. November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  38. ^ "MEDICAL UPDATE ON MIRZA TELETOVIC". NBA.com. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  39. ^ "BUCKS REQUEST WAIVERS ON MIRZA TELETOVIC". NBA.com. March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  40. ^ "Bucks get Mirza Teletovic's salary excluded from salary cap, luxury tax". December 25, 2018.
  41. ^ "Teletović potvrdio: Ulazim u KSBiH". BHbasket (in Bosnian). September 27, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  42. ^ "Sport1 - Prije tri godine se oprostio od aktivnog igranja košarke, a sada se vratio iz penzije: Mirza Teletović ima novi klub". www.oslobodjenje.ba (in Bosnian). September 1, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  43. ^ "Mirza Teletovic | EuroBasket 2011". FIBA Europe. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  44. ^ Mirza Teletović:Prvi Bošnjak u NBA ligi (in Bosnian)
  45. ^ Mirza Teletovic's wife gave birth to twin babies; So, you know, congratulate them!
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